Caleb Vogt, senior at Winter Park High School, has signed with and plans to attend the University of Georgia beginning next fall. So how exactly did a kid who has a cast on his foot and did not compete in this year's state meet get signed? The answer is easy. Vogt has accomplished things many runners can only dream about. His success includes being a key member of three team cross country state championships, runner up honors, and winning the 4A 3200m title last spring. "All I've ever known is winning" said Vogt. That title in the spring came with an 11 second PR (9:17.53), and "the greatest feeling in the world." His performance came in dominating fashion as his next closest competitor was more than 19 seconds behind!
Behind all his credentials comes the most dreaded word in the running world: injury. Vogt has seen his fair share of injuries with the most recent one being the most devastating. "I stress fractured my Navicular bone at Great American. It happened during the first 800, and by the end it was numb coming up that last hill." The Navicular bone is located on the medial side of the foot, and gets its name from its resemblance to a small boat. The numb feeling that came with the fracture was not enough to stop Vogt from finishing and running 15:36 in the Invitational Seeded race. After that race, Vogt was advised to terminate the season in order to have more to come. "If I kept running I would have damaged the bone permanently" This resiliency and character is one of the reasons why UGA Coach Wayne Norton made Vogt his top recruiting priority. Coach Norton believes Vogt has "something extra" that separates a good college athlete from a great one. Coach Norton also listed Vogt's range of speed, strong academic background, character, and resiliency as the key factors in his recruiting. Caleb was recruited by over 20 D1 schools, but narrowed his choices to Notre Dame, Iona, Georgia, FSU, and Virginia.
Notre Dame?! Iona?! These two schools recently placed 3rd and 4th respectively at Nationals last Monday (Nov 21), and are two of the top programs in the county. So what made UGA stand out up and above the rest? "Well, Indiana and New York are both pretty cold." Said Vogt with a laugh. "Georgia was just a great all around fit. It has top 50 academics, a great location, a coach who I think can get me to reach my full potential, and one of my best friends already runs for them." That friend is Winter Park alum Coleman Hoover, a freshman this year. As far as the rest of his senior year is concerned Vogt has big plans and wants to end his career on the right note.
His doctors say he can begin jogging again in a few weeks, and then he can start building back up a strong base for track. During his injury, Vogt has been adamant about keeping fit and maintaining a strong aerobic base through cross training. He wants this track season to be a special one with goals of "Sub 9" in mind. "Running sub 9 for the two mile has been one of my goals since the beginning of high school." He will surely have a chance at this goal at meets like Arcadia, state, and possibly Nike Outdoor Nationals. This year's state title will not come as easily as Vogt will be up against recent Oregon signee Justin Harbor. Many had anticipated a great showdown between the two at this year's cross country state meet, but that did not happen. Their battles during track season will be ones not to be missed. Harbor agrees, saying "Caleb and I are definitely going to put on a show during track season." Vogt will study sports medicine at UGA, and why not with all the experience he has had with injuries. With the heart and determination Vogt has already demonstrated, it's easy to see that he will be successful in whatever he does.
PR's
800m- 1:55 (4A FHSAA State Finals-4x800m relay)
1600m- 4:18.78 (Golden South)
3200m- 9:17.53 (4A FHSAA State Finals)
5k- 15:36 (Great American XC Festival)